jobfacts

Telephonists

SOC 2020 7212

Telephonists receive and direct callers in commercial, industrial and other establishments, and operate telephone (public) and office (private) switchboards to advise on, and assist with, making telephone calls and to relay incoming, outgoing and internal calls.

Also calledTelephonistTelephone operatorOperatorCall handlerTelephone operativeSwitch board attendantand 10 more titles
Typical full-time pay£31,6002025 Provisional
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month52↓ 20%on last year · 402nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time telephonists earn, 2025
£31,600 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£31,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £31,600
West Midlands!£32,800
North West!£30,100
South East!£26,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £31,600
West Midlands£32,800 (small sample)
North West£30,100 (small sample)
South East£26,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £28,800
  • 2024 £28,400
  • 2025 Provisional£31,600
↑ 9.5% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 52 jobs for telephonists are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202641
Jul 202663
Jun 2026Not published
May 202643
Apr 202653
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202664
Jan 202669
Dec 202518
Nov 202564
Oct 202549
Sept 202558
Aug 202560
Jul 202561
Jun 202552
May 202563
Apr 202561
Mar 202583
Feb 202559
Jan 202571
Dec 202438
Nov 202473
Oct 202485
Sept 202480
Aug 202463
Jul 2024102
Jun 202465
May 2024106
Apr 202480
Mar 202467
Feb 202487
Jan 2024102
Dec 202359
Nov 202384
Oct 2023101
Sept 202375
Aug 2023104
Jul 2023104
Jun 2023135
May 2023116
Apr 2023132
Mar 2023146
Feb 2023113
Jan 2023150
Dec 2022136
Nov 2022145
Oct 2022162
Sept 2022143
Aug 2022164
Jul 2022158
Jun 2022144
May 2022154
Apr 2022156
Mar 2022125
Feb 2022156
Jan 2022144
Dec 2021123
Nov 2021152
Oct 2021147
Sept 2021176
Aug 2021137
Jul 2021128
Jun 2021119
May 202189
Apr 202177
Mar 2021105
Feb 202170
Jan 202159
Dec 202072
Nov 202055
Oct 202074
Sept 202064
Aug 202059
Jul 202048
Jun 202033
May 202031
Apr 202043
Mar 202080
Feb 2020123
Jan 2020118
Dec 201984
Nov 2019112
Oct 2019113
Sept 2019104
Aug 201982
Jul 2019124
Jun 2019121
May 2019125
Apr 2019100
Mar 2019121
Feb 2019111
Jan 2019118
Dec 201858
Nov 2018101
Oct 2018141
Sept 2018130
Aug 2018116
Jul 2018101
Jun 2018116
May 2018117
Apr 2018114
Mar 2018100
Feb 2018101
Jan 2018122
Dec 201780
Nov 2017109
Oct 2017103
Sept 2017143
Aug 2017121
Jul 2017133
Jun 2017148
May 2017160
Apr 2017184
Mar 2017201
Feb 2017170
Jan 2017164
Is there a shortage of telephonists?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
14%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for customer service occupations, which includes telephonists. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London23
Belfast5
Somerset4
Shropshire4
Birmingham3
City of Edinburgh3
Exeter3
Leicester3
Mid and East Antrim3
Canterbury3
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where telephonists are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of telephonists
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!–
Not published
GCSEs or equivalent!–
Not published
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalentNot published
GCSEs or equivalentNot published
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

How to get in

Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by —
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • receives callers and directs them to appropriate person or department
  • operates switchboard to connect outgoing calls or to relay incoming or internal calls
  • reports any faults on telephone operating system
  • gives advice on dialling and other special features available
  • provides directory information, dialling codes and details of charges
  • alerts emergency services in cases of fire, crime or accident

Skills

  • answer incoming calls
  • communicate by telephone
  • maintain telephony system
  • redirect callers
  • use communication devices
  • use computer telephony integration
  • greet guests
  • handle helpdesk problems
  • install electronic communication equipment
  • monitor communication channels' performance
  • respond to customers' inquiries

Knowledge

  • electronic communication
  • concepts of telecommunications
  • ICT communications protocols

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for customer service occupations, a group of 6 jobs that includes telephonists.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 47%about 285,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035648,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.